


Everything I Know

by epistemology



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Canon-Typical Violence, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Don't ask me how, I Don't Know Either, Identity Porn, Jason Todd was never adopted, M/M, Mutual Pining, and that's why they don't recognize each other okay, both of them are dumbasses, but he is Red Hood, he also owns a bookstore, jason todd was never robin, really vague casefic details
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epistemology/pseuds/epistemology
Summary: Red Hood is a little bit in love with his partner, Nightwing, who has a huge crush on Jason Todd, the hot bookstore owner, who is actually the Red Hood, who is too busy being in love to notice Dick Grayson, who's actually Nightwing.Jason and Dick fall in love with the wrong versions of each other, and things become complicated fast.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 79
Kudos: 564
Collections: JayDick Summer Exchange 2020





	Everything I Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Newregistration](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newregistration/gifts).



> I used a mix of your first two prompts (Nightwing with civilian!Jason and Red Hood with civilian!Dick) to create a beautiful love square. I hope it lives up to your expectations.
> 
> A special thank you to [Empires](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empires/pseuds/empires/works) and [Penta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pentapus/pseuds/pentapus/works) for hosting this exchange, and to my amazing beta for all the help:)

Jason swore as his body hit the pavement, the curse coming out as a sharp buzz through the mechanism of his helmet. His everywhere was going to be bruised tomorrow. That was what he got for teaming up with Nightwing.

A glance upwards showed him that his partner was still doing fine, flying through the night sky like he owned the air itself. Jason liked watching him work; maybe that’s why he’d agreed to the team up even though the logical part of him knew to leave it alone. Bats were most often bad news, and on the rare good nights that they weren’t, they usually weren’t worth the lectures and invasive questions he’d get at the end.

When he’d first taken on the mantle of Red Hood in his mission to help the Narrows in the way Batman never had, Jason had expected the naked curiosity, the _need_ to know his identity, but he’d set a strong precedent of _I won’t ask for your names if you don’t ask for mine._ Things worked better this way. He didn’t care who donned the cowl every night, just that the man had been unable to save a scared little boy when it had mattered.

Jason rolled onto his side and tried to assess the damage from his fall without hurting himself anymore. The fall had been from higher than he cared to admit, something he’d been trained to avoid. He knew better than to allow some lowlife henchman to get the better of him, and a small, irrational part of him hoped Nightwing hadn’t seen it. Taking out the thug on the way down may have deserved a little recognition, but one look at the body only a few feet away told him he wouldn’t be getting any from the thug.

He winced as he tried to sit up, only to find Nightwing at his side.

“Don’t worry about me, take care of them,” Jason said, but the modulator in his helmet must have gotten messed up in the fall, because it came out sounding more like Darth Vader than usual.

“Already taken care of,” Nightwing said softly. “Police are on their way, which means you shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

Jason vaguely registered Nightwing helping him to his feet, but his head was spinning. Maybe he had a concussion.

“Have a safehouse. Not far.”

“Yeah my safehouse isn’t far.” Evidently Nightwing had misinterpreted that, but Jason wasn’t in a position to complain.

Between flashes of consciousness, he found himself on what he assumed was Nightwing’s bike, and, _damn_ he’d left his bike somewhere. He’d have to go back for it tomorrow, or whenever he could see straight again.

If he weren’t a trained vigilante and used to concussions and various injuries, hanging onto Nightwing as he drove way beyond the legal speed limit would have been difficult. But Jason just gripped the bike harder with his legs and wrapped his arms all the way around Nightwing’s torso, a position he would have loved to be in any other time. Right now all his focus was on staying conscious.

“C’mon,” Nightwing was saying, and _when had he parked the bike?_ Jason felt a jolt as Nightwing pulled him off and then led him towards somewhere. His eyelids started drooping.

“Hey, stay with me, Hood. We’re almost there,” was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

Jason woke up on an unfamiliar couch in an unfamiliar room. Taking stock of his surroundings only proved beneficial in one regard. Nightwing was dozing off in the chair closest to the couch, mask still on but suit replaced with a t-shirt and sweats. He looked different somehow, softer and less intimidating, though Jason didn’t doubt he could still kick the ass of anyone who tried to wake him.

He sat up slowly, because his head was still hurting and because he didn’t want to wake Nightwing. Jason didn’t have to reach a hand to his face to know his helmet was on. Good. Nightwing probably didn’t know how to disarm the bomb in it anyway.

His jacket was missing, but he quickly found it draped over one of the bar chairs at the kitchen counter. In fact, the whole upper half of his suit had been peeled down, presumably to check for injuries. He took a look at his own torso. No bruises yet, but his skin looked a lot more red than it probably should.

Nightwing shifted in his seat, and Jason’s head turned sharply. He stood locked in place, the apartment quickly becoming suffocating as he waited for a sign of consciousness to appear. But Nightwing didn’t wake up, only settled further into the cushions.

Jason took the opportunity to gaze at him in a way he couldn’t when they were working. Hard as he may try to deny it, Jason looked up to and admired this strange man. He would never admit it, but he’d been more than a little starstruck by Robin back in the day, and he was still a little starstruck by Nightwing now. Every time he caught a flash of blue up on those rooftops... well. Jason’s heart nearly stopped. Why Nightwing ever wanted to team up with him. Jason didn’t know, because he refused to hope for anything more than the most probable reasons.

He stood up carefully and with some difficulty. A few painful steps later and he’d gotten his jacket on, suit pulled back up over his shoulders. Now came the challenging part: getting out the window without waking Nightwing.

Jason tiptoed around him and worked the window open. One last glance around the room and— a flutter of movement caught his eye as Nightwing tensed. Jason froze. He waited, watching as Nightwing’s breath evened out in a way Jason had been trained to notice. Well, if he was awake and letting him leave without trouble, Jason wasn’t going to complain.

He slipped out the window and spent the rest of the night alone in a safehouse, trying desperately not to think of the way Nightwing had so gently taken care of him. It hadn’t meant anything.

* * *

A little bell jingled overhead when Dick pushed open the door. The bookstore was small but not cramped, in a homey type of way. The tall windows in the front let in plenty of light, and the narrow shelves stretched towards the back, giving the shop the illusion of being longer than it was.

Dick picked a row at random and searched. He’d never been to this particular bookstore, but the recommendations had said it carried a wide variety of foreign books, and Dick was looking for a particular book in Arabic for Damian.

He must have looked a little lost, because there was a worker asking him if he needed help, and _damn_. Dick’s stomach flipped. The man was really attractive, with dark hair and a light smattering of freckles across his nose and muscular arms that Dick wanted around him _now_.

“You lookin’ for something in particular or just browsing?” He asked in a bored, lower Gotham drawl. God, even his voice was hot.

“Uh, yeah, um I’m looking for…” Dick trailed off when he realized he didn’t know the title. He fumbled for his phone before pulling up a picture and showing it to the hot employee.

Hot Employee squinted at it for a second until his eyes registered familiarity. “Yeah, I know that one. We’ve got it here, follow me.”

Dick didn’t need to be told twice. He took off after him as Hot Employee led him past shelf after shelf until they came across one with a large “International Literature” label. He ran a large hand across the spines and gently pulled out the exact book Dick needed.

“Thank you.” Dick tried to think of something else to say, but his brain was being decidedly unhelpful. It was too focused on the pretty shade of Hot Employee’s eyes, a lovely seafoam green.

“No problem. That all or do you want me to go ahead and ring you up?”

“Huh?”

“You ready to pay…?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah.”

Not his best moment, but he followed Hot Employee to the counter, where no one else sat. Dick wasn’t positive, but he felt there should be more people in this shop.

“Are you the only worker here?”

Hot Employee glanced up from the register, eyes on Dick’s, and a sharp jolt of something passed through his body.

“Today I am. Both my employees got sick, probably because they kept making out in the back room when they thought I wouldn't notice,” he joked.

Dick narrowly avoided an unflattering snort. “Wait, _your_ employees?”

“I’m the owner,” he said passively, but annoyance flashed through his eyes faster than most people would have been able to catalogue.

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t implying, I mean-” How was Dick supposed to explain that he’d only been confused because he’d been calling him Hot Employee in his head the past few minutes?

“It’s fine.” Hot Bookstore Owner waved it away. “Most people are surprised since I look so young, I guess. Your total’s $17.56.”

“Uh, yeah. I’m Dick by the way.”

Hot Bookstore Owner nodded. “I thought you looked familiar. Dick Grayson, right?”

“Yeah.” Dick was kind of hoping he wouldn’t recognize him. He swiped his card more dejectedly than necessary.

“I’m Jason Todd.” Jason passed Dick his bag with one hand and held out the other to shake, which Dick gladly did. His hand was warm and calloused, and Dick liked the way it felt in his. He smiled.

“Well Jason, now that I’ve discovered your store, I’ll probably be back in the future.” It came out flirtier than Dick had intended, but oh well.

Jason smiled back, a soft smile that Dick could have lost himself in. How could he have met this man not more than five minutes ago? Something about him just seemed so familiar, so _right_.

“I hope so,” Dick said.

* * *

It was on days like this that Jason hated the little bell above his shop door.

His day had absolutely gone to shit, he’d barely gotten two hours of sleep the night before, and that little tinkling noise was about to drive him up the wall.

He wondered if it counted as defacing property if you shot your own bell.

Jason drew in a breath and let it out slowly. No matter how stressed he was, he was not going to shoot the bell. He always kept at least one gun with him in the store, but it definitely wasn’t meant for that. Groaning, he drew a stack of books out of one of the boxes that currently sat on the counter, waiting to be slotted into their proper places on the shelves. Jason didn’t mind this part of the job, but if he had to deal with one more irritating customer— 

The bell chimed, and the books in Jason’s hands fell back into the box with a thunk. He looked up just in time to see Dick Grayson walk in, thousand watt smile on his face as always. Great.

It wasn’t that Jason disliked Dick Grayson, but he certainly didn’t like him either, or at least he told himself he didn’t. The man was entirely too perky to handle and always seemed to show up at the absolute worst times. Jason had been sure he’d seen the guy’s face before when they’d met, and sure enough, he had a small measure of tabloid fame that didn’t do much in helping him win Jason’s friendship. Because that seemed to be his goal.

But Jason couldn’t find it in himself to hate the guy, no matter how much he wanted to. Dick was kind, despite being rich, and good, despite being a cop, so Jason’s main reason for not liking him always fell to paranoia. He knew you couldn’t trust cops in this city for shit, and he was determined to stay wary around Dick. There was something about him that screamed _liar_ , and Jason could recognize a mask when he saw one.

It didn’t help that Jason was currently not in the mood to deal with customers, especially ones as overtly friendly as Dick.

“Hey Jason!”

He plastered on his best customer service smile. “Hey Dick! You here for something in particular?” Jason hoped his answer was yes.

“Nope, just browsing. I finished _The Book Thief_. Cried a lot. Was wondering if you could recommend something happier this time?”

Jason tried to think, but his brain was blanking out. Standing in a store surrounded by books and he couldn’t remember a single one. Man, he needed a nap before he went out on patrol tonight.

Jason rubbed a weary hand across his face, hating how the action forced him to stifle the automatic groan that tried to escape. “Uh, sorry Dick. It’s been a long day, so I doubt I’ll be helpful. Why don’t you just look around yourself, okay?”

Dick’s expression faltered a bit, enough for Jason to notice, at least. “Oh, sorry. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just. Long day. Tired.” He didn’t mention the late night stakeout the night before, or the injury to his shoulder that had made sleeping rough.

Thankfully Dick seemed to get the memo. He shot him another smile full of pity and maybe something else before turning towards the nearest shelf without even checking the sign. It was the young adult section, and Jason knew Dick was only pretending to browse it, either to cover up his mistake or to stay close to the counter.

When he didn’t move any further away after a few minutes, Jason gave up. Dick was a social person. Figures he couldn’t even buy a book without wanting to strike up conversation.

Jason mentally slapped himself for that thought. No getting irrationally angry at customers you like just because they’re being friendly.

“You know, now that I think about it, I might know a good book to recommend,” he said, ignoring the way Dick’s face lit up and how much it delighted him to know he was the cause. _It’s been a long day_ , he told himself.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, uh, you said you like mysteries, right?” When Dick nodded, he listed off a few titles that came to mind and found himself walking over to the shelf to pull them off and place them in Dick’s hands. A little presumptuous, maybe, but Dick bought all three, so Jason figured his pitch must have been good.

By the time he’d finished ringing Dick up, he noticed that he was already in a better mood. Something about Dick Grayson did that to him, even if he would never admit it. But Jason could admit that, despite his paranoia, he had become friends with this quirky customer. What had his life come to?

“So,” Dick began after taking his bag, “you’ve mentioned you like Jane Austen, and I was wondering if you’ve seen the new _Emma_?”

Jason had, in fact, seen the new _Emma_. He’d gone opening night. “Yeah, have you?”

“Oh, um, no actually. I was thinking of going. Is it any good?”

“I mean, if you like those sorts of movies, then yeah, definitely. I thought it wouldn’t be as good as the BBC one, but I think I liked it even better.”

Dick took a breath and then smiled. “Would you wanna see it again? I’d like to go, but no one else I know is interested.”

Jason thought about the offer. It was innocent enough, but maybe it was a bad idea; Jason didn’t really have any friends who weren’t vigilantes. But then again, he didn’t really have many friends _period_ , and Dick was nice and wanted to hang out with him. They were only going to see a movie. It’s not like Jason had to share any personal information. He didn’t want to lie to the guy, if possible.

But for some reason, Jason had this inexplicable urge to trust Dick. He felt that he could tell him just about anything, and Dick would keep his secrets.

Jason mentally shook his head. What would Nightwing think of him, considering telling a civilian about his night job? And speaking of Nightwing, Jason needed a nap before patrol if he wanted to avoid falling asleep on the job. That definitely would not impress his partner. Not that he was trying to impress him.

“Uh, sure. What day?” Jason asked before he started zoning out mid-conversation. That definitely wouldn’t be polite. “I work 7 to 6 most days, so weekends would be better for me.”

“How about Saturday? There’s a matinee at 3:30 at the theater that’s next to the mall.”

Jason didn’t comment on how prepared that reply had been. Dick had said he’d been wanting a chance to see it. “Sounds good.”

Another customer walked up behind Dick, and Jason immediately turned his attention to her, barely sparing Dick another glance. It wasn’t until after he left that Jason noticed one of his business cards sitting on the counter, a name and number hastily scrawled underneath the name of the store.

* * *

Dick yawned, mask pulling at the skin on his face. He really should be heading home - Hood was long gone already - but he didn’t want to go back to his empty apartment just to sleep until his day job. Being above the city had always had a calming presence on him, and looking down on the people and things far below was a favorite pastime. Dick stopped on a nondescript roof and just closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of the streets and the feel of the wind. He opened his eyes again and kept moving.

He’d been in Gotham more as of late. It was Hood’s base of operations, plus Dick would never turn down the chance to see his family, especially since he worked with them too half the time.

And maybe a little bit of it was Jason, at least during the day. More and more often he found himself finding excuses to come to Gotham just so he could drop by the bookstore with the very hot owner. Dick wasn’t entirely sure if Jason was actually interested, but he’d agreed to the date, which must have been a good sign.

Dick stopped. He recognized the roof he was on now; it was close to the bookstore, and it wouldn’t take him that long to get there. The sun would be rising soon - Dick had stayed out far longer than normal - which meant that Jason would be opening any second now.

He let his body carry him there, hardly thinking of the route but swinging along with ease nonetheless. The familiar building came into sight just as those first few rays of sun lit up the street, not enough light to warrant going home and taking off his mask but still the lightest Dick had ever been out as Nightwing. The thought that this was a bad idea crossed his mind, but then Jason was there, cursing as he tried to unlock the door to the shop with a large box under his other arm. Dick dropped from the fire escape.

“Need a hand?” He asked without thinking.

Definitely a bad idea. Jason looked shocked, and not in a good way. Dick fought back a wince at his own stupid actions.

“Uh, sure.” The box was hastily shoved into Dick’s hands, and it was heavier than it looked, probably full of hardcovers. He waited politely as Jason unlocked the door and then followed him inside.

The bookstore looked different in the morning, the electric lights appearing much more fake in contrast with the dusky city outside. The rows flickered on one at a time, but Jason didn’t wait for them to alight before heading towards the back. He stopped at the counter, a spot Dick knew well.

“You can just, uh, put those here.” He jerked his hand towards the countertop, and Dick set the box down gently. He suddenly didn’t know what to say or how to explain what he was doing here at 6:30 in the morning.

“Not gonna lie, I kind thought all the Bats went to bed by five, give or take.”

Dick shifted his weight, trying to bring himself to look Jason in the eyes even though Jason couldn’t see his. “Usually we do, but I guess I stayed out a little bit later than usual.”

Jason hummed, and Dick felt a need to fill the silence. “This your store?”

“Yeah.” His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, what should have been a relaxed stance, but to Dick it came off as distinctly defensive. Jason was scared of him, or at least intimidated. What had he been thinking, coming here? This wasn’t the movies, where every civilian swooned over the handsome superhero, and being a Bat, he was more urban legend than superhero most days.

“Well, have a nice day!” Dick said as Jason asked, “So, what are you doing here?”

And how exactly was he supposed to answer that? Dick did have a secret identity, even if he’d thrown that out the window the moment he’d seen Jason outside the store.

“Just thought I’d help. That’s what we’re here for, right? To help people?”

Jason stared, unimpressed, and frankly, Dick was unimpressed too. He wasn’t usually that clumsy, but Jason brought it out in him.

“Right.” He didn’t sound convinced, but Dick hadn’t been very convincing. Maybe next time he could just wear a sign that read _I have a huge crush on you_. 

Jason’s eyes were trained on Dick, never flicking away long enough for him to slip off quietly with his dignity still somewhat intact. Apparently he had to do things the old fashioned way. He glanced to the window.

“The sun is rising. I should leave.”

Jason narrowed his eyes, if only a little. “Okay. Get some sleep.”

Dick smiled. “Yeah, sure.”

He left through the front door, bell jingling overhead like always, a sound he’d come to associate with Jason.

That was a disaster.

* * *

What the fuck just happened?

Jason resisted the urge to stare out the window and watch as Nightwing flew away into what was no longer the night. Instead, he got to work organizing the shop while going through every possible explanation as to why his partner had shown up.

The most obvious being that Nightwing had discovered his identity. 

Fuck.

Jason really hoped that wasn’t the case. He hid his face for a reason, and he definitely didn’t like the uneven footing that came with not knowing Nightwing’s identity while his partner knew his. Not that he didn’t trust Nightwing, but Jason was paranoid. It was part of his charm.

And then there was the fact that Jason was close to in love with him. If Nightwing had somehow figured that out, Jason was sure he’d have to leave Gotham forever, because there was no way he could face him after that.

He sighed and began stacking the books on their correct shelves; it was no use obsessing over Nightwing. He’d see him again that night, probably, and maybe Jason could try coaxing it out of him then. 

He’d been seeing more of Nightwing recently, a phenomenon Jason was not going to protest. What had once been the occasional team-up, excused by their efficiency when together, had long since become a tentative partnership or sorts. Feelings had not always been a problem. It had only been hero worship, or at least that was what Jason told himself when he couldn’t fall asleep for the images of Nightwing that flashed through his mind, taunting him with something _more_ , something he could never have.

The Red Hood did not deserve Nightwing, and Jason didn’t pretend to think the ordinary bookstore owner did either.

He picked up a book, and then put it down. Nightwing had been there. Nightwing had spoken to him. To Jason, not Red Hood. The thought reasserted itself in his head until it played on a loop that wasn’t likely to disappear soon.

God, he hoped Nightwing didn’t know.

* * *

Dick wasn’t sure how he ended up in the Red Hood’s arms, being carried to his safehouse. The same one he’d brought Hood to a few months ago, if he was remembering correctly. Which maybe he wasn’t. There was a lot of blood after all, and Dick had never been able to get used to the pain of being shot.

Alarms were disabled and the window opened - Dick was positive Hood shouldn’t be able to do that, but he couldn’t bring himself to care - and then he was being placed gingerly on the couch.

“Bathroom’s to the right,” Dick all but coughed out. Somehow Hood understood, and returned moments later with medical supplies.

“Get your suit off,” he said quietly, and Dick obediently disabled his defenses and began pulling it down. There was no use cutting a perfectly good suit if it wasn’t needed.

The wound was in his stomach, and the bullet had gone straight through. The pain of getting stitches on both sides was only barely outweighed by not having to dig a bullet out.

Dick grimaced at the thought.

A soft pressure to his side jolted him back to his senses. Hood’s hand rested next to the wound, and he held up a cloth wet with something in the other, presumably for cleaning the injury. No words were spoken - they had a language of their own that only partners could speak. Dick never had to guess at what Hood was trying to say. He knew the other man better than he knew anyone else for never having seen his face.

There was a stinging sensation as Hood applied another cloth, something else on this one, then got to work stitching it up. The light pricking was a pain Dick had gotten used to — unlike the gunshot wound — and it was over before he had the chance to focus on it. Hood wordlessly gestured for him to turn around and got to work on his back.

There was something about being able to bear your unarmored back to someone that made Dick dizzy. The intimacy of it all was something subtle, delicate. He wondered if Hood would trust him the same. He wondered, but he knew he would.

“It’s done,” Hood’s voice said, and when had he turned off the modulator? His voice sounded less electronic than normal, and there was a slight familiarity in the low tones. It reminded Dick a little bit of Bruce, maybe. “Sit back while I get you some water.”

Dick wanted to protest, he really did, but Hood was already up and in the kitchen before he could form a word and back with a glass before he could realize.

“Thank you,” Dick sighed, because the cold water felt good on his throat, and he was only just registering how tired he was. Loss of blood did that to him.

“No problem,” Hood said before carefully packing up the medical supplies. The consideration didn’t surprise Dick, for some reason.

“You should stay.” It was out of his mouth before he could think through the implications, but Dick decidedly thought through them after he said it, and his opinion didn’t change.

“What?”

“You should stay the night. It’s late— Or early, I guess, and you’re already here. You might as well go ahead and get some sleep.”

There was a long moment where Hood just stared at him, and Dick really wished he could see his face. He knew him well enough to read the defensiveness in his body language, but a face, even without the eyes, gave away so much more.

“I want you to stay,” he tried, and something in Hood relaxed at that.

“You sure?” His voice was still soft and low, different from the usual hiss of his helmet. Dick was sure, so he nodded.

“Alright, but you’re moving to your bed, or I’m leaving.”

Dick laughed as much as his sore stomach allowed and let Hood help him up and guide him to his room. But once he was situated, Hood turned to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“To the couch?” It was phrased as a question.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The couch is covered in my blood!”

“I’ve slept in worse places.”

Dick pointedly ignored that. “It’s a queen sized bed. It’s big enough for two.”

“You’re injured! I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’ll be fine. Just stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine, okay?”

Hood didn’t look particularly convinced, but he never did with the helmet. “Fine.”

It surprised Dick that he’d given in, but he wasn’t going to question it, just made room when Hood stripped out of his boots and jacket and slid in. The kevlar couldn’t have been comfortable, but Dick was more worried about the helmet and its effect on his sleeping habits.

“I’m not letting you see my face, ‘Wing. I don’t got a mask on under here,” he grumbled.

“It’s dark enough, you know. I couldn’t really see it anyway, especially if you sleep facing that way.”

“What if you wake up before me in the morning?”

“I’ve got a hole in me and just took pain meds. I sincerely doubt that.”

And Dick was once again surprised as the helmet came off, Hood turning away quickly, even though Dick wouldn’t have been able to distinguish much in the dark.

“Go the fuck to sleep, ‘Wing.”

Dick smiled and let his head fall back into the pillow, thinking about Hood’s endearing stubbornness and how he’d have to hide his injury from Jason when they went on their date in a few days. And Hood had been so gentle, so caring, so unlike his usual, brash self. It made Dick wonder if he did this often, if he had someone to look after, but the thought fled from his mind as quickly as consciousness did.

Hood was already gone when he woke up.

* * *

His outfit was all wrong. He should have gone with the blue shirt, the one that matched his eyes. Why did he listen to Tim again?

Dick sat in his car, which was parked in the first row, closest to the theater. He hoped that with the advantage of this particular parking spot, he’d be able to spot Jason pulling in and give himself ample time to psych himself up.

Instead, he was just nervous and sweating and second guessing everything.

Dick consciously relaxed his body, forcing himself to calm down. So what if he didn’t wear the blue shirt? They’d be in a dark movie theater, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t worn that shirt to the bookstore before. In fact, he’d worn it most of the times that he’d gone. Which is why he’d opted not to wear it today. Thanks, Tim.

He checked his teeth in the mirror just as a very familiar car pulled into the lot. Jason.

Dick sent a quick text saying he’d arrived - he hadn’t done that when he’d actually arrived ten minutes ago so as not to look lame - and then hopped out of the car. Jason parked further down, but he forced himself to walk towards the building as if he hadn’t noticed and stood in front of the doors for all of twenty seconds before hearing his name called.

“Dick! You haven’t been waiting long, have you?” Jason asked. Concern shone through on his face, and Dick smiled.

“Nope, not at all,” he lied, and walked quickly toward the theater.

The movie itself was not what Dick would have picked, were he seeing it with anyone else. But Jason loved the classics, and he seemed to be enjoying the movie, intensely focused on it as he was. Dick tried not to glance over at him too often, but upon realizing Jason was too engrossed in the film to notice, Dick spent the rest of the time watching him.

He barely registered when the credits began to roll.

They made to leave, and Dick was reminded that they hadn’t made plans for after the movie.

 _Ask him to dinner_ , his mind supplied.

Dick looked over at Jason, who was tossing their empty popcorn bags. That wasn’t a very romantic moment.

They followed the herd to the lobby, stopping quickly at the bathrooms.

_Ask him to dinner._

Jason was holding the door for Dick, and they were in the parking lot again.

_Ask him to dinner!_

“Wait!”

Jason stopped dead in his tracks at Dick’s almost yell. Dick tried not to cringe visibly.

“Would you want to get dinner?”

Jason checked his watch, then looked back at Dick. “Sure, I could eat.” He shrugged. Dick’s stomach flipped, either in nervousness or excitement or relief. He was feeling too many emotions to tell.

Or maybe it was just the hole in his stomach. It was about time for his pain meds.

“How about the place on 5th and Madison?” Jason asked, and Dick inwardly thanked him for suggesting something because his own brain was being decidedly unhelpful.

“Sounds good.”

They drove separately, which gave Dick some time to regroup in the car. He was Nightwing for God’s sake. This was just a date, and he had always been good at flirting.

 _Not when you genuinely like someone_ , his brain reminded him, _then you always feel out of your depth and never know what you’re doing._

“Hey, sorry, I guess I hit all the lights,” Dick said as he slid into the booth Jason had gotten for the two of them.

“No worries. This way I could already get us a table so we didn’t both have to wait.”

Dick didn’t say that he wouldn’t have minded waiting, if he’d been with Jason. That was too cheesy. Instead he offered, “I’ve never actually been here before. Heard good things about it though.”

“Never? Man, you need to try their ribs! I’m so glad we came here!”

Dick smiled, relaxed, and from then on it was easy conversation and flirty smiles. They chatted about books, Dick talked about work at the station and how boring it usually was, Jason asked about Tim and Damian. It was nice, Dick realized, especially since he hadn’t been on a date in ages. And he really liked Jason.

“I’ll pay,” Jason was saying. “It’s only fair since you’ve paid for everything else.”

Dick made to grab the check, but Jason held it further away, leaving Dick to decide whether he wanted to lean across the booth into Jason’s space or just give in. He chose the latter. They were in public after all, and he wasn’t a fan of PDA.

“Are you sure?” He asked instead.

Jason scribbled something in the tip section. Dick didn’t see how much, but at least he was leaving a tip. “Nah, it’s fine. Don’t want you to have to pay for everything.”

“I don’t mind. Besides, I was the one who asked you to come.”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not like this was a date.”

Dick froze. All other sound in the room was drowned out by the loud buzzing in his ears, most likely due to all the blood rushing straight to his head. It wasn’t a date. He’d gotten dressed up, he’d paid for everything, he’d almost made himself sick with how nervous he was, and Jason didn’t know it was a date. Dick thought back to the other day in the bookstore. He hadn’t said the word date, had he?

Jason was saying something. “-head back home if that’s okay.”

Dick blinked a few times and looked up. He didn’t meet Jason’s eyes. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said I’m probably gonna head home if that’s cool with you. It’s getting dark.”

And yeah, that was fine. Dick may not have had his night job for the next three weeks if Bruce got his way, but he’d refused to be kept off comms, and he should really check in soon. Anything to disappear from this embarrassing situation entirely. “Yeah, I should get going too.”

“I guess I’ll see you around?”

Dick had no intention of ever returning to the bookstore, but he wasn’t going to tell Jason that.

“Sounds good,” he said.

They left in their separate vehicles, driving in opposite directions. Dick was thankful for that. He didn’t think he could’ve handled seeing him at a red light at this point.

At home, Dick rolled onto his side and eyed his Nightwing suit. He itched to put it on, to climb out onto the rooftop and jump without looking down. Flying was the one thing that had always made him feel better, had always been a part of him. If not for his injury Dick could’ve made the entire night disappear into the thrill of the fall or of a fight. If nothing else, Hood always made him more like himself than anyone else.

He flopped onto his back and winced when the movement shot a sharp pain through his stomach.

It would have to wait.

* * *

Jason slumped in the driver’s, exhausted. He liked hanging out with Dick, he really did, but the prospect of a night in was calling to him, and even though Nightwing was still benched and wouldn’t be swinging around like normal for another week _at least_ , Jason needed a break.

He started the car and pulled out quickly. The ride home was short, but it wound through a more heavily congested part of downtown, so the length of time was hit or miss.

He should really hang out with Dick more. The guy was fun and had a certain type of charm that made it impossible not to like him. Plus, he didn’t seem to mind Jason’s long winded rants about classic literature and even gladly took suggestions for reading material. And it was nice having someone to talk to regularly besides his two teenage employees. And Nightwing.

He reached for the radio. Jason didn’t often listen to music in the car, but the silence was killing him, and he needed something to alleviate it. Some popular eighties song that sounded vaguely familiar came through the speakers, just loud enough to dull his thoughts but not too loud as to be annoying.

Dick had definitely been acting weird towards the end of the night. He’d been perfectly normal at the movie and throughout most of dinner, but something had definitely happened at the end that had set him off. Jason could have analyzed it; he might not have been the Bat, but he had passable detective skills. However, the promise of sleep was more important, and if he let himself get started on this mystery, he wouldn’t be getting to bed anytime soon.

Jason sighed and turned the radio up a little louder. Annoyingly loud. He took the next right and then slowed to a stop in front of his building.

He trudged up the stairs, and soon his apartment welcomed him back with dark corners and empty walls, and Jason wasted no time in stripping and climbing into bed. Man, he really needed this night off.

Maybe Nightwing would be back out tomorrow night.

* * *

Dick hated being benched. He hated it.

He was grateful for Hood’s help through the whole ordeal, he really was, but he couldn’t help resenting him. Hood was out there, completely fine, and Dick had gotten benched by Batman and told to stop working with Hood, the person who was both a bitter reminder of the grounds for his time off and the reason Dick hadn’t bled out already. Red Hood was the closest thing he’d had to a partner since his Robin days, and Dick wasn’t going to give that up easily. He missed working with the Titans, missed his team, but this two man partnership had become something immeasurably _special_ to Dick. Hood was present. He was always there, in a way no else was, a way Dick had come to rely on and treasure.

He trudged up the stairs and through the door that led to the roof of his apartment building. He would come up there to clear his head or just take a moment to himself, and sitting on the ledge overlooking the city had become a kind of ritual for him when he was upset or tired or confused. Dick went up there often.

He hadn’t expected someone else to be there already.

Red Hood turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, only enough so his body was slightly angled towards Dick’s. Dick didn’t comment on his presence, even though his heart was pounding in his chest at the thought of his identity being exposed. What were the odds that Hood would be on his roof, now, otherwise?

Dick sat on the ledge and let his legs dangle over the side. “You wanna sit down, or are you just gonna stand there ominously?” He didn’t look to see Hood’s reaction — not that the helmet gave away much — but did note him sitting down out of his peripheral. There was a respectful distance between them, which Dick appreciated.

“So,” Dick said, drawing it out, “You come here often, or am I just special?”

“I was here first. Why are _you_ on the roof?” He sounded genuinely curious, which made Dick reevaluate the possibility that Hood knew who he was. He’d tucked the Nightwing suit safely in his apartment; there was nothing tying him to the Bats.

“I come up here to clear my head sometimes. I live on the fourth floor.” Possibly too much information, but it wasn’t like Dick didn’t trust Hood.

The silence stretched out, an almost tangible wall, not between them but around them, blocking out the rest of the city and its distractions. There was something keeping Dick grounded on this rooftop ledge, telling him that everything might just come to a head with this conversation. Dick risked turning his face and looking at Hood, but the other didn’t acknowledge him, only stared off at some imperceptible point in the distance.

“What are you doing up here? I’ve never seen you on my roof before.”

“I thought you said you only come sometimes. How do you know I haven’t been here before?”

Dick had always appreciated the way Hood could match his banter. Jason could, too; it was part of why he liked him so much, something he had missed ever since he had started dropping by the bookstore less and less. He could admit the rejection had stung, and the embarrassment of the whole situation had driven him to avoid Jason. They may not have known each other long, but Dick couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d lost something good. “Sometimes may have been an understatement, but I guess I could’ve missed you,” he conceded.

Hood snorted. It came out as an odd buzzing noise, but Dick knew the man well enough that he could distinguish every snort, growl, and sigh. This was definitely a snort.

“You said you came up here to think,” he said, and Dick wondered if he was changing the topic or doing that infuriating thing where he took forever to get to his point.

“Yeah.”

“Guess that’s why I came too. Needed a new building, new vantage point.”

Dick could appreciate that, so he hummed a silent agreement. “What does a vigilante need to think about? I mean, besides justice or whatever.”

There was another moment of silence, and Dick tried to imagine Hood smiling underneath his helmet. The face was blurry, but the smile was there.

Dick waited. Hood always spoke if Dick waited for him to gather his thoughts. It was when he rushed him that Hood was private and closed-off.

“People.”

“People?”

“A person,” he amended.

And that was interesting. Dick wanted to ask who; who was so important that they occupied the Red Hood’s thoughts and caused him to meditate on Dick’s apartment roof?

He inched closer, wishing there weren't layers of armor between them. Or maybe he wanted his own kevlar lined suit, even if it wasn’t nearly as protected as Hood’s. The brisk night air wasn’t the only thing that reminded him that his thin t-shirt and sweats felt woefully inadequate in comparison.

“What person?” He dared to ask and resigned himself to waiting again.

He didn’t have to wait, though; Hood answered quickly, his modified voice both brusque and reticent. “Nightwing.”

Dick blue screened. He hadn’t expected that. He and Hood were partners, sure, but nothing shocking and worthy of a brooding had happened between them recently, right? Every interaction they’d had suddenly ran through his mind at top speed until he mentally shook his head. Why was he so surprised? Nightwing was the only person Hood ever hung out with. It made sense.

That didn’t mean he didn’t have any friends outside of the helmet, Dick reminded himself. Maybe he compartmentalized and saw Red Hood and his civilian persona as two different people. As long as Hood was in the suit, he was only concerned with things like his missions and guns and Black Mask and Nightwing. They were friends, right? It wasn’t that surprising.

Dick snapped out of his thoughts to see Hood looking at him. Or he thought he was looking at him. The helmet was turned towards Dick even if his body was still facing the city.

“Why Nightwing? Something happen with him?” He asked before Hood could say anything, determined to keep the upper-hand in this conversation. Assuming he even had it to begin with.

Dick was feeling a little out of his element.

“Nothing in particular.”

Dick waited.

“It’s just-” A pause. “I’m not sure what he thinks of me?”

“What he thinks of you?”

“Yeah. I mean, I know he was hurt at the time, but he asked me to stay the night at his safe house! I slept in his fucking bed! Like, what does that mean to him?”

Dick’s mind was racing faster than his body ever could. Why was Hood telling him this? Did he know Dick was Nightwing or not? And more importantly, what the hell was Hood even worried about?

He decided to make more of a conscious effort to hide his injury, just in case. “Well, maybe he was just tired?”

Hood turned all the way to look at him before answering. “Tired?”

“You said he was injured,” Dick reasoned.

“Still doesn’t explain why he let me in his bed.”

“I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal. Unless…” Dick trailed off.

Hood was looking at him again, so he shut his mouth.

“Unless what?”

And wasn’t this the revelation of the century. Dick almost prayed he was wrong and that Hood would throw him off the roof for even suggesting the idea. “Unless you have feelings for him,” he whispered.

The wall of silence stretched between them now, and Dick could almost feel the change in the air; what had been a pleasant chill now settled like ice in his bones.

What Dick had just said had the potential to change things between them, maybe permanently. It didn’t matter if Hood didn’t know who he was.

And Hood’s answer had the potential to change things even more.

“Yes.”

It was a whisper, gone before Dick had the chance to process, and suddenly Hood was as well. He stood faster than any man of his height and breadth had any right to, but Dick had always been quicker.

His hand was around Hood’s wrist without thinking. Hood stopped with the action, even though he could have easily wrenched his arm away.

“I know how you feel!” It was the first thing his mind supplied, but he regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. And yet, Hood turned towards him fully, his interest caught, so Dick backtracked quickly to try and figure out exactly where he’d been going with that.

“It’s just- There’s this guy, and, well, I really like him, but I’m not sure he feels the same way. So, if Nightwing isn’t interested - not that I would know if he was or not - but _if_ he wasn’t, then I’d know how you feel ‘cause I’m in the same boat.”

It all came out very fast, but Dick didn’t regret it this time. He wasn’t quite sure why.

“Um, thanks,” Hood said slowly, and Dick didn’t blame him.

“Wait! Before you go… Why did you tell me that?” Dick asked as Hood made to leave again.

There was another pregnant moment, charged with the kind of electricity that powered Dick every time he jumped before shooting his line.

“You seem like someone I can trust.”

He took off, leaving Dick to stand on the edge of the roof and wonder. Did Hood know? Was he purposefully confessing his love to Nightwing-as-Dick so that he had an out if he was rejected? Was he waiting for Dick to make the first move?

Dick thought about it, and he wasn’t as opposed to the idea as he probably should be. Hood was kind and loyal and cared about the people of Gotham, about Dick. And Dick may not have been able to see his face, but he certainly wasn’t lacking in the looks department as far as Dick could tell. His kevlar suit covered a strong body, made evident by muscles that looked as though they had been cut from marble, something Dick could appreciate, and had, on multiple occasions.

Jason wasn’t interested. Dick knew that. The date had gone well, but it had been obvious that Jason hadn’t even realized it was a date. Maybe he was just oblivious and Dick needed to be more forward, but the simpler option was just that he didn’t like Dick as anything more than a friend.

Dating a civilian was complicated anyways. Maybe he should give Red Hood a chance.

* * *

It was supposed to be an easy night. Nightwing was back on patrol again (earlier than he probably should have been, but Jason wasn’t going to fault him for that), and he was supposed to have left work early to make dinner and catch a quick nap. Figures nothing ever went his way.

Jason pulled the door shut behind him with a little more force than necessary, just because he got some petty satisfaction from taking out his anger on his own shop. It was already dark outside, and the polluted Gotham sky made for an even more depressing picture. He locked up quickly, stuffing his keys in his pocket after and making his way to his bike.

Jason’s mind wandered as he walked. Dick hadn’t come to the bookstore much in the past few weeks, which really shouldn’t have been concerning, but after the night on the rooftop, he felt somewhat responsible. Dick had to have been talking about him when he’d confessed to Red Hood. It was the only logical solution, right? Obviously Dick had other friends, but he had been coming to the bookstore an awful lot for someone who didn’t seem to read for fun before he started showing up regularly. And in retrospect, Jason could see how he could have been flirting.

But the point still stood that Dick was a civilian. Maybe if things had been different, Jason would have been interested, but he didn’t want to put the guy in danger. Plus, Jason had been in love with Nightwing for as long as he’d known him, and he didn’t think there was any coming back from that.

He’d made it halfway down the street before he heard the first scream. He was running before he heard the second.

Up two blocks, over another street, and Jason found himself in the middle of what could only be described as a pandemonium. Despite the road being relatively clear with few people out in the open, the obvious presence of Ivy’s plants was wreaking havoc everywhere. They were growing and growing and growing, and Jason abruptly realized just how dumb he probably looked, standing in the middle of the street, dressed in civvies.

Still, it was a little early for this kind of stuff, he reasoned. The rogues didn’t usually come out until the middle of the night.

“Move!”

Jason recognized the voice, just like he recognized the body that was suddenly on top of him, pushing him out the way of a large vine that pulverized the spot where he’d been standing moments prior. The ground beneath him was cold, the shock of hitting it full force a jolt to his senses, and Jason could only make out the blue stripes of Nightwing’s suit in the dark. They had landed in a narrow alley.

“Are you okay?” Nightwing asked, a gently authoritative tone to his voice that came out only when speaking with civilians. He hadn’t moved from his position on top of Jason.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he finally managed to get out, trying desperately not to think about what a compromising position in which they’d landed. He’d been in worse ones as Red Hood, but somehow being caught as Jason made it that much more embarrassing. It was probably the lack of a helmet.

To his credit, Nightwing seemed to notice the awkward position and immediately moved away, face rapidly turning red. His hand flew to his mask, as if to check whether it was still there.

Huh. Jason didn’t think he’d ever seen Nightwing flustered before.

“Thanks for that. I probably woulda been plant food if not for you,” Jason said, if only to end the uncomfortable tension that had settled the moment Nigthwing hadn’t hurried right back out to the fight. He usually didn’t stay and chat with civilians he saved.

“You’re welcome. Uh, Jason, right?” Jason nodded dumbly. He remembered him. Probably not a good sign. “You, uh, probably shouldn’t be here right now,” Nightwing said as he stood and then immediately offered a gloved hand. Jason took it; he was still on the ground and wouldn’t mind the extra help and a chance to touch Nightwing all wrapped up into one.

It was an easy out. Jason could have agreed and taken that as his chance to slip away and get his gear. It was an excuse to leave both to return as the Red Hood and to get away from his partner before he was discovered.

So, why didn’t he do that?

“Are you gonna be alright by yourself? Shouldn’t you have help for this kinda thing?”

“I’m sure Hood’ll be here any minute. He always has my back.” Nightwing smiled a little, and Jason hoped it was because of him. Or Red Hood. God, this was confusing. “For now, I’m just trying to focus on keeping civilians safe.”

What a boy scout answer.

“Civilians like me?”

“Yeah.”

They stood there for another few seconds. Nightwing didn’t look in a hurry to move; Jason was, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to leave.

“Anyway, I should. Probably, uh, get on that,” Nightwing blurted, jerking his thumb over at Poison Ivy’s plants, which had since taken over the entirety of the street.

“Yeah, that’d be… Nice!” Jason faltered.

_Nice? What the hell?_

Nightwing smiled and bowed out gracefully, twirling around and reentering the fight in one fluid motion that had Jason staring long after he’d vanished into the fray.

Jason backed away, eyes on the blue stripes for as long as his vintage point allowed, until he couldn’t stall any longer. His journey to his apartment was spent half berating himself for being so stupid and half replaying every moment of the interaction in his mind. The way Nightwing had looked at him had been something else, something full of emotion. It had been sweet, and wistful, and so different from the way he normally looked at Hood. Jason was almost tempted to run back, to throw himself into danger just so Nightwing could save him.

He stopped at the door to his building. No, that was a dumb idea. This wasn’t a movie, and he wasn’t going to get some cliché kiss scene. Besides, Jason was no damsel in distress. It was better to focus on the things that mattered, like the fact that Nightwing was currently battling Poison Ivy alone, waiting on his partner.

By the time he’d gotten all his gear on and made it back to the scene of the crime, the plants were still there but well contained, and Nightwing was talking it out with Poison Ivy nearby. Someone was there, presumably to take her back to Arkham.

Huh. Guess he’d taken too long.

Nightwing glanced over and smiled brightly when his eyes landed on the helmet. Jason felt his heart skip a beat. He sighed. What a cliché.

“Hey partner! Missed you out there.” His tone held no animosity.

“Got a little caught up with something, but it looks like you had it handled,” Jason returned, eyeing Ivy as she was pushed into the back of the truck far more forcefully than necessary.

“As always, but it would’ve been nice to have a chance to see you.”

Little did he know.

“Well, you’re seeing me now. Patrol?”

“Sure. Hopefully the rest of the night is calmer.” Nightwing held out his hand dramatically, letting his partner lead the patrol, and Jason allowed himself a small smile at the gesture.

They flew off into the night.

* * *

Dick’s side ached as he sat down on the ledge. The fight with Poison Ivy had been the only exciting thing that had happened that night, but it had set a precedent that he didn’t have the stamina to follow. He was happy for a quiet moment with Hood, up until he realized it was their first moment alone since Hood had confessed his feelings to Dick Grayson a week ago.

He started when Hood sat next to him, the sound of his body a solid weight dropping. Did he always sit this close?

“You good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine! Why?”

Hood turned towards him. “You were injured last I saw you. And I know it’s not in your nature or whatever to let yourself recover, but you’re not still hurt, are you?”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Dick had a habit of going back out before he was ready, if only because he couldn’t stand being idle, but the wound had healed over nicely since then. Perhaps it was earlier than most people would be out and about after such an injury, but Dick wasn’t most people.

“It’s fine, Hood. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Hood grunted. “I just don’t want you pushing yourself too hard. ‘Cause then I’ll be left without a partner, and there’s no way I’m dealing with this hellhole of a city alone!”

Dick snorted. “Oh, please, you’d try to quit and end up beating up a rapist or something as a civilian!”

“That actually happened once,” Hood said. “It was a while ago, and since then I’ve gotten better at keeping the vigilante justice to the nights.”

That sounded just like him, and Dick felt a rush of fondness come over him in full force. “You ever think about quitting?” He asked, just as an excuse to ignore it.

Hood took his time to mull it over and formulate his answer.

“Sometimes, but never seriously, you know? Sometimes you get hurt, and you think, ‘this is it, I’m done,’ but then you get back up and you go out again the next night.”

“It’s all we can do,” Dick mused.

“What about you?”

He owed Hood an honest answer. “I have. A lot, actually. But, kind of like you, it never sticks. I tried to quit, but this life just pulls me back, keeps me in. I can’t get away from it.”

“Would you if you could?”

“Nah.”

They fell into a silence, familiar and pleasant, and Dick mulled over his options.

There was Jason, and he was every bit Dick’s dream guy, handsome, kind, smart. He was good with kids, honest to a fault, and smiled like the moment he was living in was the only one he cared about. Dick might have been falling in love with him, a little.

But Jason didn’t feel the same way. That much was obvious.

And then there was Red Hood, Dick’s partner and the person he could trust more than anyone, except maybe Bruce. Infuriatingly loyal and talented in every way that mattered. Dick knew him, but he didn’t.

Because Hood was in love with him.

God, he felt like the heroine of one of those regency era novels Jason liked, torn between two men, unable to decide between her heart and her duty.

His duty.

Jason was a civilian. Did Dick feel right about dragging him into his life? Was that even fair?

“Thinking pretty hard over there.”

Right. Hood. He was still here.

“Just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Care to share?” It almost sounded genuine.

Dick shook his head. It sounded genuine because it was genuine.

He weighed his options, what he should tell and what he should guard close to his chest. “Uh, it’s not really something I can talk about,” he decided on.

A buzz from the helmet. A sigh, Dick determined.

“Civilian stuff?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Alright, fine. But we’re partners, okay? You know you can talk to me?”

Dick gazed out over the city below them, sprawling and chaotic, but beautiful. There was no place he’d rather have been in that moment than up there with Hood.

He made up his mind.

“Yeah. I know.”

* * *

Jason stood on the roof and tapped his foot impatiently like a fucking cliché. He’d been planning this op for a while, and he wasn’t going to let it be ruined because Nightwing was fashionably late.

He got busy setting up his equipment and then began watching through the tiny lens. The men in the tiny office above the club were making some kind of deal, but the details weren’t immediately important. If they continued using this spot as a meetup though, Jason would need to bug the place. He groaned at the thought. It would be extremely hard even to get in, let alone place a bug without anyone noticing. He went back to the scope.

“Hey handsome!”

Jason pretended that he hadn’t startled, but it was too late. Nightwing had seen him jump - although the jump had had more to do with the sudden flirting than the surprise entrance. Jason was used to those, at least.

 _He’s not flirting with you! This is just how he acts_ , Jason mentally scolded himself.

He straightened. “Glad you could finally make it.”

“Relax.” Nightwing smiled. “Got caught up with Bat business. Which you’d be a part of if you ever officially joined the team.”

“No way am I teaming up with Batman!”

“Hm, you still haven’t told me what that’s about,” he commented absently.

“And I never will.” Jason turned back to the scope to make sure his marks were still there, effectively ending the conversation.

“Whatcha got so far?”

“Nothing much. Some deal’s going down.”

Nightwing hummed and rolled back onto his heels. It was an annoyingly charming pose.

“Anything we should be doing about it?”

“Not sure yet.” Jason didn’t have enough information yet, but he was sure this deal was important. What he really needed was to get in that room, to be there when the discussions happened. “I’m not sure what they’re talking about, but I’ve traced the codes you were looking for last week to them.”

He allowed himself one glance over at Nightwing, who wore a pleasantly surprised look and a half smile.

“I didn’t know you were working on that,” he commented.

“Wasn’t really. It was sort of a coincidence. Anyways,” he powered on, “the point is the codes should be in that room.”

Nightwing shifted his weight from one leg to the other, never standing still for longer than a moment unless necessary. “Is there any way we can get them tonight? I can’t give you all the details because it’s technically Batman’s case, but we need those codes and soon.”

Jason took another look through the scope. There was only the one way in and out, and as vigilantes they were very conspicuous.

“What if one of us snuck in?” He asked.

Nightwing turned towards him, but his eyes were still trained on the entrance. “And how exactly are we going to do that?”

“They won’t notice if another civilian goes in.”

“Well that’s too bad because I’m not putting a civilian in danger-”

“No, I meant me, idiot.”

“What?”

Jason reached down to undo his thigh holsters and then got to work removing guns from various places on his person. “Look, you’ve got a costume that stands out, but if I get rid of the majority of my weapons and zip up my jacket, no one’ll know it’s me.”

“There’s still the problem of the…” Nightwing trailed off and made a jumbled hand motion in front of his head.

“Exactly. No one knowing what I look like makes stealth missions a hell of a lot easier, dontcha think?”

Jason’s hands flew to his helmet without thinking before he faltered. Did he really trust Nightwing that much? He hadn’t even hesitated.

And it needed to be done. Of course it did. How else were they going to get in there?

But it wasn’t just about that. As much as the thought of Nightwing seeing his bare face almost made him sick, there was no one he trusted more to see it. No one he trusted more with all of his secrets. Jason removed the helmet and, shoving it into a shocked Nightwing’s hands, dove off the roof.

Getting in was precisely as easy as he’d thought, and he made quick work of the place, stashing bugs where no one would find them. In and out and back before anything could go horribly wrong.

Jason climbed back over the ledge, finding Nightwing exactly where he'd left him.

"Okay, now that that's done, we're gonna have to discuss this," Jason said and gestured to his face.

He only caught a glimpse of Nightwing's expression, surprised and determined, before Jason felt lips on his.

After getting over the initial shock that was _Nightwing kissing him holy shit_ , his own hands found their way to Nightwing's waist, and Jason was kissing back with everything he had and pushing away all the questions brewing in his mind. They moved in tandem as only two people who knew each other closely and personally could, and Jason wondered why he hadn't worked up the nerve to do this sooner.

Suddenly Nightwing pushed him away, looking horrified.

"What's wrong?"

"You don't know who I am! I shouldn't be- I'm taking advantage of you like this!"

Jason almost laughed at the outrageousness of that implication. "Okay, look, you might be doing a lot of things, but taking advantage ain't one."

Nightwing’s face contorted into something almost pitiful. "Yes, I am. I need to-" He cut off and decidedly pulled Jason further into the shadows. His hands went to his mask, and the familiar weight of anxiety settled deep in Jason's stomach. He really hadn't anticipated this.

“Wait!” He grabbed Nightwing’s wrist before he could remove the mask. “I just want to- Are you sure?” He asked, trying to sound as serious as he knew he felt.

Nightwing smiled a tight smile; he was just as nervous as Jason was, maybe more. “It’s only fair.”

And that was exactly what Jason had expected and not wanted to hear. “I don’t want you to tell me out of some misplaced sense of duty or that you owe me! Because you don’t. Taking my helmet off was _my_ choice, but I’m not gonna make you make the same one.”

Nightwing gently pulled his hand away, and Jason realized he’d still been holding it. “I’m serious, Jason. I want to do this.”

“Okay, if you’re sure,” he said, and Nightwing’s hands went back to his face. “Wait, hold on! How’d you know my na-”

The mask came off, and just like that, _Dick Grayson_ stood in front of him, a little disheveled and extremely apologetic. Jason couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Why are you laughing? Jason!"

It was impossible. And yet, it had happened.

Nightwing and Dick Grayson were one and the same.

“Oh my god!” The laughter had subsided enough for Jason to get words out. “I can’t believe it! I can’t fucking believe it! But it also makes so much sense!”

Dick gave a weak laugh, and now that Jason could see his eyes, he could tell how anxious they looked.

“We should probably discuss this…”

“Right.” Jason sobered immediately.

“This isn’t how I expected my night to go.”

“Me neither.”

Dick opened his mouth, paused, and then blurted, “I’m sorry I kissed you!”

Jason said nothing, and Dick continued.

“It’s just, it was unfair, and it’s not like I didn’t like Red Hood, but finding out that _you_ were him was- Well, I mean, you know how I felt because… Because I told you.”

“If I remember correctly, you only told me you liked me because I told you first!”

“What?”

“You told me that you liked me because I had just told you I was in love with you— Nightwing! God, this is so confusing!” Jason threw up his hands in frustration. Dick was running his hands down his face. His hair was mussed, and Jason tried not to focus on how attractive it made him look.

“That entire night was confusing! I thought I was in some kind of freaking love triangle!”

“You act like I had it any better! I didn’t know how to act around you at the bookstore after that! You suddenly got so awkward, and I thought it was because of that night.”

“I got awkward at the bookstore because I realized I was making a fool of myself chasing you! I mean, you didn’t even realize we were on a date!”

“Date? When did we go on a date?”

“To see _Emma_!”

“That was a fucking date?”

“Yes!”

“Shit.” Jason turned away. He kept getting distracted looking at Dick. How had he never seen how similar he looked to Nightwing? How similar they acted, in the smallest of ways.

Seeing Nightwing in front of him, sans mask, blended the two persons together into an odd mix that was somehow better than either of the individuals. He was Nightwing’s bravery, intelligence, loyalty, and strength; he was Dick’s humor, kindness, and compassion. He was everything Jason loved about both of them, and he was standing there, looking at him.

Jason cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, back to the kiss. Do you regret doing that?”

“I shouldn’t have done it. You didn’t know.” He averted his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant, do you still like me? Jason, Red Hood, whoever.”

Dick’s shot back to meet his, and Jason felt something inside him crack in a very specific way.

“Yes.” He said it confidently, because he was still Nightwing and timidity was not something he possessed.

That was all the confirmation Jason needed. He took a step forward, bringing his own gloved hands to Dick’s face and kissing him the way he’d always dreamed about. Dick’s hands wound around Jason’s waist as he instinctively leaned in and parted his lips, and then they stood there, wrapped up in each other's arms and touching in every way that mattered. Jason couldn’t focus on anything but the slide of Dick’s lips against his, the intoxicating way his hair felt underneath Jason’s gloves. He itched to take them off, to feel with his hands, his lips, and a small part in the back of his mind wondered if Dick was this affected, but as soon as they parted and Jason got a good look at his face, eyes wide and breath shaky, he knew.

“So, what’s this mean for us now?” he asked, and Dick reached up a hand to stroke his cheek like he was something fragile.

“I’d like to keep doing that, if that’s okay. And I really think you should start working with the rest of us.”

Jason groaned inwardly. Bats. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I wanna show you off.” Dick smiled, a sly smile that had Jason itching to kiss him again.

He did exactly that, bringing their lips together into something slow and tender, with just the right amount of _I love you_ in it.

“I guess I could try, but I make no promises.”

Dick smiled again. He hadn’t really stopped, even through the kiss. “I can’t believe my two favorite people were actually one person all along!”

“Well, I can’t believe how much of a dork you are underneath that suit.”

“You say that like you don’t like me,” Dick said, and Jason was losing himself in his eyes.

He leaned forward, but instead of kissing him again, he brought his lips up to his ear and whispered, “Wanna get out of here?”

Dick chuckled at the obvious line, but now that Jason knew Nightwing was the dorky guy from his bookstore, he didn’t have any reserves about being just that little bit cheesy with him.

Blue and black painted fingers found their way into Jason’s, and hand in hand they made their way to the edge of the roof. Jason wanted to protest when Dick dropped his hand again, only to watch as he placed his mask back on his face, enough of the sticky residue still there to keep it on until they reached whoever’s safehouse was closest.

Then Dick jumped - because he was Dick now and not Nightwing - and Jason wondered how he ever thought he knew this man. Nightwing and Dick, they weren’t two halves to one person exactly, but they both melded together in so many different ways, each filling in the gaps left by the other.

Then Jason jumped too, because when Nightwing flew, Red Hood followed. 


End file.
